


new year; new love

by jyoou



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Genyatta - Freeform, M/M, Non-Canon Relationship, also makes you want to punch yourself, i know i did, kind of self indulgent, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-10
Updated: 2017-01-10
Packaged: 2018-09-16 12:54:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9272669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jyoou/pseuds/jyoou
Summary: There are things that you do for New Year's, and then there's the things you didn't think you'd do for New Year's.for Promptwatch Week 1 - Traditions





	

**Author's Note:**

> written for [promptwatch's week one](http://promptwatch.tumblr.com/)!  
> this is the first thing I've written in about four or so years so there's bound to be mistakes and bad writing (๑•́ω•̀๑)  
> please be gentle with me

“… hm.“ 

Meditation was meant to clear the mind and the soul of any impurities, to be conducted with silence in both the outside world and one’s being–but Genji could not help holding it back with his breath, posture less firm than a moment earlier. 

“Shall we call it for today?” The voice shook him back to earth, head turned to the side before he had realized that his thoughts had caused him to err in routine. 

“Ah, sorry, master.” Back straightened and faced forward, his words came out softer than usual. “We can continue,” Genji claimed, though it only lasted for a moment before there was a repetition in his actions, save for the long sigh. 

“There seems to be much on your mind, my pupil.” Zenyatta couldn’t be fooled regardless of what one said or tried to do, considering the fact he could sense things like that. Genji knew that, but it was an old habit–one that never seemed to die like the others did. “Let us take a break. You have earned it.“ 

With another breath, the ninja allowed himself to fall back over, his limbs extended and eyes directed to the evening sky. It wasn’t uncommon for him to be lost in thought, but it was a first for them to defeat his attempts to have an empty mind. One could only assume something had occurred for him to act like this–but even the Shimada himself, had no clue as to why his brain would not quiet down. The last time it was this bad was maybe– 

“Would you care to talk about it?” The omnic had lowered his body closer to the ground, the gap between him and Genji shortened, and though there was no expression that could be displayed, the concern in his octaves was just a bit noticeable. “Of course, I do not mean to overstep boundaries,” and as always, his kindness was always appreciated. Without it, the cyborg would never have been able to come to terms with the present. 

Genji felt his lips come to a slight curve; Zenyatta always knew what to do or say. “It’s nothing serious,” he responded, sitting back up in a more casual–and comfortable–pose. Frankly, it was embarrassing to be openly discussing the things on his mind, since it wasn’t something he did growing up. “I was just thinking of the past. The things I did as a child, and the things I did when I became…,” a slight tilt of his down to his being, another sigh escaped from him. “I never would have guessed this is how my life would be. But, I can’t imagine it differently.” His hand reached for his jaw, pulling the mask off. He had long grown comfortable taking it off in front of Zenyatta, since he knew that no matter what, he wouldn’t be judged. 

No response. 

Now, it was a tad awkward, truth be told. After spewing out those kind of words, ones that he never really voiced out before, Genji was already a bit put off–but now it was just enough for him to want to hide, almost like the days when he did something stupid back in the arcade. Instead, he fell back, focused more on trying to get his thoughts to stop rather than the silence he couldn’t bare–but when that failed, he caved in and turned to the direction of his master. 

Lo and behold, the monk was laying beside him, his gaze kept on the sky and his orbs slowly circulating above–and Genji hadn’t even noticed it, but they extended enough to float over him, too. “Is there not more?” Zenyatta questioned a moment later, turning his gaze towards his counterpart. 

All of a sudden, Genji felt slightly flustered; the gap between them felt smaller since they were on the ground, and now making eye contact while talking about his turmoil made him feel… _strange_ on the inside. “Ah, well,” he trailed off, deciding to let his field of view return to the darkening sky. “I remembered how my brother and I would have to celebrate things on our own, like holidays and our birthdays.” There was a hint of sadness in his words, those days that he used to be so fond of no longer possible. 

A shame, but that’s just how it is. 

“Genji,” Zenyatta had sat back up, the sounds of his movements causing the Shimada to turn his gaze. “Why don’t we celebrate the New Year, your way?” A blink. “I am quite curious how different it is where you are from, and it may help your unease,” he added, after taking note of the blatant expression of confusion on Genji’s face.

It couldn’t be helped; first and foremost, he completely forgot it was the eve of said day. Maybe that was why he had been reminiscing all of a sudden? It was that time of the year where some think and reflect on the past, and perhaps something had surfaced back up and led to the ball of mess his thoughts had been. Who knows. 

Two, he had grown so accustomed to doing things the monks were without question, so the idea to follow traditions of his old self had caught him off guard. After a moment of pondering over it, a grin took form on his mouth. “I think you would enjoy it, master. There is much that we did back in Japan.” A brief pause as he pushed himself up onto his feet and grabbed his mask, “We can’t do all of it, but I think we can do at least some.” Genji couldn’t help but sound excited–if he was honest, having to do rituals and eating various types of grains and wheat had less luster than what _they_ had done back then.

But now, he got to celebrate with his favourite person.

–

With nighttime rolling over, he had decided by starting off with one of the more accessible things to do: bell ringing. Truthfully, the cyborg never really believed that thanking the gods and asking them for favours would make wishes come true–and of course they didn’t, or else his young self would have been so much luckier with both video games and social encounters. Still, it could never hurt to do it anyway.

”… and then, you’d stand and make a wish to the gods, as if you were praying,“ Genji continued his brief explanation as the two had approached the bell, a thin rope hanging down from it. In the short journey’s time, he had been sharing stories of things he had done with his sibling and his friends, along with a list of customs they’d execute. 

 "Intriguing. Does it work?” Zenyatta pondered aloud, halting his movements just beside his student. “Perhaps I could ask them to reveal my lost orbs,” a small laugh had been emitted as he said that, and the Shimada couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as well–his laughter was contagious. 

The rings of the bells had reverberated through the empty room, both of them still with their heads slightly tilted downwards. Though his pose would suggest otherwise, Genji didn’t really have a wish in mind. Sure, there were things he desired, but none of them transcended the point of him actually asking for it. A younger him would have asked for the latest consoles or for the elders to get off his back, but the current him had no such worldly desires. Umber irises peered over to see if his mentor had finished, and upon discovering he was not, Genji exhaled softly and tried again. Just what is it that he wanted enough to wish for? 

 Maybe…

– 

“We used to pound  _mochi_ a lot,” Genji began as the twine had now moved to the inside of their living space, preparing to clean up whatever mess and dust lied around. “There was always more than enough for everyone. For the clan, for their family, for ours. Heh, it was the only thing I liked doing that didn’t get me in trouble,” which was not wrong, considering how on New Years, he would refuse to partake in everything else but the making of the glutenous rice cake–for good reason too, since he was the one who ate most of it.

Zenyatta stifled a laughter from the other side of the room, moving objects from one place to another. “I would have liked to try some that you made,” a small hum followed afterwards in mimic of an exhale. “I imagine it’s taste to be spectacular,” he continued, now brushing off thin layers of dust from various surfaces. Their current place wasn’t in bad shape at all, but there was always the belief that in order to start a new year fresh, ones own home must be clean as well. After hearing that, Zenyatta had jumped on the boat to tidy up, finding the idea to be helpful in their meditation as well. 

Genji had been in search of stray items to toss or to fix as he had been telling his stories, mask off as there was no fear of anyone intruding. “It was always a bit sweeter than it should’ve been, especially after being dragged off for training or forced to do things like chores,” a moment’s pause as he crouched closer to the floor, his hand extended out underneath their small table to fetch a ball of crinkled paper. “The elders said it was the only thing that I was useful for.”

“Nonsense. You are plenty of help,” his mentor refuted, traveling over to him with the wastebasket. “Were it not for you, I would have been less enlightened and more likely to live in a pigsty.” He motioned to their cleaner home, and though it wasn’t an extreme makeover, it did look nicer with their rearranged furniture. “They know nothing of what you are capable of.”

Those words caused a curve to form on Genji’s lips, a soft, mocking snicker escaping from them. “The only thing they knew was how to get on my nerves,” his reciprocation causing a chuckle from the omnic, he shook his head slightly at the thought of the past. “My father had told them not to pressure me, but in return for that, it all went to my brother.” He knew that; in return for his freedom at a young age, the eldest would have to shoulder everything else–if only his younger self knew selflessness, maybe things would be different. But, there was no point dwelling on it. He stood back up and took a moment to admire their ‘efforts,’ then motioned for the other to follow him.

Their abode did not allow for any traditional foods, and even if it did, he figured it would be odd to only prepare a single serving. With that in thought, he had decided to make things simple. Though his favourite part was always the food growing up, it still made him merry to be able to do such activities again.

“Just a moment, my student.” Genji halted his tracks and turned around, wondering as to what had happened. Zenyatta was gone for a brief while, and upon his return, he had two small boxes, one of which reminded him of something. “I had asked my brothers and sisters in assisting me with these. They are for you,” he annotated, handing them to the ninja. “I cannot guarantee it, but I hope you enjoy them.”

After staring at the containers for a bit, his hands finally decided to make their way to revealing their contents. The first one, as he had assumed, was a _jūbako_ filled with food he had long forgotten about. The smell was nostalgic, and though he had no idea how Zenyatta managed to make it, there was no doubt he appreciated the effort. The second box was smaller in appearance and much lighter. Nothing particular came to his mind that he could guess its contents, and after failing to see through it, his fingers raised the lid. Inside, folded neatly and softly glistening, was a light green _furoshiki_ with white flowers printed across. The seams of it wasn’t perfect and there were inconsistencies, but that didn’t matter; he was speechless.

“Ah, master…” Genji couldn’t bring himself to continue, his features beaming with gratefulness and glee. Never had he thought another person would go through such lengths for him, let alone someone he admired and respected. “It seems… that you know more than I thought,” a soft chuckle escaped from his lips, finally changing his gaze to Zenyatta for a brief moment before bowing gently. “Thank you. I will be sure to put these to good use.“ His fingers curled tighter around the gifts as if afraid to let go, fixing his gaze on the omnic in silence. It has been a while since he felt so much warmth in him, especially considering how much of him was mechanical. “I will do whatever I can to repay you for this, master.”

“You forget that I was also roaming the lands.” Zenyatta had retorted, a small _ha ha_ floating out afterwards. “It is not a debt for you to repay; it is my thanks to you, for being here with me,” the younger clarified, placing his hand atop Genji’s. “I only wish the best for you in the new year. I will be there with you, to make sure of that,” he said, his tone calm yet full of certainty.

The Shimada’s cheeks were beginning to feel sore from keeping up with the curls of his tiers, but he hadn’t even noticed it. “Thank you,” was all he could muster for the moment, almost faltering prior to returning the other’s acrion. “And I, too, will be there at your side,” he added, finally deciding to take his complement’s hand into his own. “For a long time to come.”

–

Stars painted the sky as if glitter on canvas, cloud puffs barely present and the moonlight luminous enough for the pair to see their surroundings. There was in need of improvisation for the remainder of their night, taking into account the absence of preparation for a change in celebration; in the end, they together chose to bask in the night tide until dawn arose–praying to the first sunrise was a favourited one back home, plus the crisp air was soothing. 

Auburn orbits flickered between the constellations and the box in hand. Since they sat down, Genji had been snacking on his gift, making sure to savour each bite. It was memorable to be having a meal consisting of ingredients he thought to never see again, and it held more sentiment since it came from someone special. 

“… Shtaring?” Jowls puffed out from the food stuffed in his mouth, his inquire sounded muffled, though it seemed as his partner understood well enough to be chuckling. It didn’t bother him, and he could imagine it was only due to their differences–but still, being observed so intently and so close with nary a gap between them was tinting his visage a pale pink. 

“Haha, you still eat well,” Zenyatta concurred, keeping his line of sight on the other, almost watching as if they were several meters apart. “It’s always interesting to see humans eat,” his hand reached out to wipe a smudge of sauce that laid on the other’s face, barely grazing his skin. “How does it taste?” 

“Ish delishous.” Genji paused, chewing more before swallowing to allow himself to enunciate properly. “It’s delicious, master,” he repeated, setting aside the uneaten portions for now and once again saying grace. “I never knew you could make something like this,” a toothy grin flashed, his vision deviated to the heavens.

“That would make two of us,” Zenyatta joked, following the cyborg’s gaze to the celestial sphere. If he had a functioning mouth, there would also be a curl to his lips, for he was enjoying their time together and the stunning scenery all too much.

How tranquil it felt, the space around them and their current status being the crown to it all. For the first time today, Genji felt at peace, those thoughts that plagued him vanishing as if they hadn’t existed in the first place, the one feeling that really stuck with him being happiness. There was nothing more he could ask for, and nothing else in particular was worth wasting on a wish that could, somehow happen. Deep down though, there was something he longed for; it was something he realized only for the day, but it was clear that, without it, he wouldn’t know what to do.

“It is midnight,” vocals snapping him back to reality, he turned back to his master, the latter who had just exchanged his looks. Now that he realized it, the tolls of the bells had broken the silence for a short bit, glancing behind him as if he could catch the glimpse of them from where he sat. “Happy New Year, Genji,” Zenyatta chimed, moving closer so that their physiques touched, palm upwards on the other’s knee. “I wish to spend it with you, and the ones in the future as well.”

Irises flickered to the hand placed on his lap, slowly and shyly putting his own atop, their fingers intertwining. “And to you, master,” he replied, a soft curl tugging on the edges of his lips. Upon hearing that last sentence, his eyes almost sparkled, a small huff of laughter escaped his smile.

“You took those words out of my mouth.” 


End file.
